Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

To move to Bexhill-On-Sea?

48 replies

Movingoutoflondon · 07/03/2023 18:59

Hi everyone,

We currently live in London and have spent the last few months debating on where to move to. We would like to be by the sea and close(ish) to London. We ideally wanted to live in Hove but unfortunately it's out of budget (we'll be renting).

We've stumbled across Bexhill-On-Sea and it looks ideal. Any pros/cons/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

OP posts:
EstherHazy · 07/03/2023 22:15

Good things: De la wars pavilion is consistently brilliant; excellent affordability and reasonable amount of character in housing stock; quick into Hastings, nice seaside promenade and some good cafes
Bad things: quite a bit of deprivation; not the greatest town centre; terrible line to get back up to London by train; reputation as retirement town (not unfounded); a lot less diverse than you'll be used to in London

Sunriseinwonderland · 07/03/2023 22:22

I used to live in Seaford which is quite nice as it's on the edge of the downs, Alfriston village is wonderful if you can afford it.
Hastings is awful, supposedly up and coming but full of homeless and drugs, a veritable dump.
Eastbourne is full of european gangs and also a dump despite its genteel reputation, Brighton and Hove you are either rich, homeless and on drugs or on a council estate.
The whole south east coast has gone to the dogs in my opinion so I have moved to Somerset which is much nicer and nearer beaches and lovely countryside.
Bexhill is ok but probably 80% retirement population but at least its quite peaceful.
I would suggest staying in a B&B there for a few days.

Sunriseinwonderland · 07/03/2023 22:23

As an after thought I've always loved Rye and would happily live there they do have a train station but I'm not sure what the trains are like.

LadyLolaRuben · 07/03/2023 22:43

I've only visited bexhill but done so a few times...its a nice relaxing place

cariadlet · 07/03/2023 22:55

I live in Bexhill. Moved here for work. Thought I'd stay here for a couple of years but met my partner who's born and brought up here so I've been stuck here for the last 30 years!

Pros - good place to bring up kids. The park and seafront are good for little ones. Hastings and Eastbourne are a short train ride away for teens (shopping in the day, pubs and clubs at night). Plenty of good schools.

Cons - nothing horrendous but there's nothing really special about it either. If it wasn't for my partner, I doubt I would still be here.

cariadlet · 07/03/2023 23:06

I will add that Bexhill's reputation as a town full of retirees isn't quite accurate.
There are plenty of older people but also lots of young families. The biggest age group is 45 - 64 year olds.

Dottydoodoo · 08/03/2023 05:38

I live in Bexhill, it's a nice little town fairly quiet and the majority of people are friendly. The town centre is nothing amazing (lots of charity shops and cafes) but it serves its purpose and Hastings and Eastbourne are only a short distance away. The seafront is nice and there are some nice walks in the combe valley nearby. I can think of worse places to live!

Dottydoodoo · 08/03/2023 05:40

My only con is that they have had a few episodes of releasing sewage into the sea locally, which is a bit yuck particularly if you enjoy swimming in the sea. Although I don't think this is limited to Bexhill it seems to be happening all over Sad

WhyamIinahandcartandwherearewegoing · 08/03/2023 06:00

Sunriseinwonderland · 07/03/2023 22:23

As an after thought I've always loved Rye and would happily live there they do have a train station but I'm not sure what the trains are like.

Agree - Rye so much nicer than Bexhill/Hastings which despite efforts to tell us are on the up, remain steadfastly shitty.

sorrynotathome · 08/03/2023 06:04

I agree it’s a bit of a dump. But there’s something about an imminent major road project that will drastically reduce travel times to London etc - so buying there now might be a good investment.

Dyslexicwonder · 08/03/2023 06:04

If you need to get to London reasonably regularly Bexhill or Rye are problematic. Hasting for all it's difficulties is better connected. Have you considered Battle ?

Dyslexicwonder · 08/03/2023 06:09

The whole south east coast has gone to the dogs in my opinion so I have moved to Somerset which is much nicer and nearer beaches and lovely countryside

No-where near London though and nothing like the Delawarr in the whole County. Give me Sussex with it's problems over Somerset anyday.

rainbowstardrops · 08/03/2023 06:55

I don't live in Bexhill (but just along the coast a bit) and whenever we've visited, it seems nice enough. As others have said, there's the De La Warr Pavilion which often has really popular events on and the seafront is nice. Lovely big park for the kids.
I don't know your budget but just along from there is Cooden. Probably a bit pricey though and you might struggle with transport links.

BronnauMawrion · 08/03/2023 07:08

Born and bred in East Sussex, I'd like to give my opinion.
Bexhill is lovely, a little sleepy, DLWP is an absolute jewel. Good water sports opportunities, but little else.
Rye too is nice, quaint, but so full of tourists year-round that locals get v pissed off. Seems like all the shops are only open 11am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday, basically to pander to the weekenders. Transport to London a bit crap (have to change at Ashford or Hastings).
Hastings & St Leonard's has a bad reputation for deprivation, but there are really nice areas too. There is also a lot of soul in the place, with festivals and events throughout the year, always something to do, and a great live music scene especially in the Old Town.

pronger1 · 08/03/2023 07:18

Rye is good - although only trains once per hour it only takes an hour and 6 mins to be in St Pancras. It's a lovely town with Camber Sands nearby. I moved here from London and it definitely has a great vibe and cafes, shops and restaurants a bit like those you get in London. I just ignore the tourists- they bring in some income to the town and have never bothered me.

Dyslexicwonder · 08/03/2023 07:51

I always forget about the high speed service from Ashford. Still I wouldn't want to rely on that Ashford/Rye train.

Original poster
Movingoutoflondon · 08/03/2023 09:15

Thank you all so much for your replies, it's really helpful! I'll definitely take a look at Rye. And I think we'll rule out Hastings. We're just looking for somewhere that's quite safe, with easy access to the beach and walking routes to keep us busy. We don't need to travel to London too often so transport links aren't a deal breaker.

OP posts:
Dyslexicwonder · 08/03/2023 10:22

My only reservation with Rye is the schools.

Dyslexicwonder · 08/03/2023 10:29

Actually just seen that Rye College has been rated Ofsted Good in January 2023.

MeanwhileTime · 08/03/2023 11:17

I lived in Bexhill up until last year but had to move because of work.

Pros: as above, the De La Warr which is simply brilliant. They host some fabulous events there. There are some good restaurants that have opened up in recent years so a decent selection of places to eat out. Some excellent primary schools (Little Common, St Peter & St Paul’s). St Richards is an excellent secondary but is a faith school so tricky to get into if you’re not catholic. The town as a whole is very safe and family friendly. The beach and seafront are both on the doorstep and they have a rowing club and sailing club. There is also the opportunity to learn kitesurfing and paddle boarding down at Cooden Beach. Free tennis in Egerton Park in the summer. Lots of nice countryside and walks nearby. You can hop on the train and be in Hastings or Eastbourne within 10-20 mins, and you can also get the train direct to Brighton, Gatwick and London (although not particularly quickly).

Cons: It is pretty sleepy so if you want somewhere lively then Bexhill is definitely not it 😆. Nowhere really stays open past 10 or 11 o’clock at night so you’d need to head to Hastings or Eastbourne for later nights out. It’s not very diverse so you might find you miss the multiculturalism of London. Egerton Park is lovely and very central but the playground could benefit from a redesign and the splash fountains by the De La Warr haven’t worked for a while now which is a shame. And the trains to London may be direct but they are not fast!

MeanwhileTime · 08/03/2023 11:23

sorrynotathome · 08/03/2023 06:04

I agree it’s a bit of a dump. But there’s something about an imminent major road project that will drastically reduce travel times to London etc - so buying there now might be a good investment.

Oh that’s interesting @sorrynotathome I hadn’t heard about that. When and where is it planned, do you know? I have friends in Bexhill that would be delighted about that.

Original poster
Movingoutoflondon · 08/03/2023 13:19

MeanwhileTime · 08/03/2023 11:17

I lived in Bexhill up until last year but had to move because of work.

Pros: as above, the De La Warr which is simply brilliant. They host some fabulous events there. There are some good restaurants that have opened up in recent years so a decent selection of places to eat out. Some excellent primary schools (Little Common, St Peter & St Paul’s). St Richards is an excellent secondary but is a faith school so tricky to get into if you’re not catholic. The town as a whole is very safe and family friendly. The beach and seafront are both on the doorstep and they have a rowing club and sailing club. There is also the opportunity to learn kitesurfing and paddle boarding down at Cooden Beach. Free tennis in Egerton Park in the summer. Lots of nice countryside and walks nearby. You can hop on the train and be in Hastings or Eastbourne within 10-20 mins, and you can also get the train direct to Brighton, Gatwick and London (although not particularly quickly).

Cons: It is pretty sleepy so if you want somewhere lively then Bexhill is definitely not it 😆. Nowhere really stays open past 10 or 11 o’clock at night so you’d need to head to Hastings or Eastbourne for later nights out. It’s not very diverse so you might find you miss the multiculturalism of London. Egerton Park is lovely and very central but the playground could benefit from a redesign and the splash fountains by the De La Warr haven’t worked for a while now which is a shame. And the trains to London may be direct but they are not fast!

Thank you so much, it definitely sounds like it ticks a lot of our boxes! And glad to hear there's quite a bit going on, we're not too fussed about the nightlife side of things but wanted to make sure that there were things to keep us active during the day 😊

OP posts:
sorrynotathome · 09/03/2023 13:37

MeanwhileTime · 08/03/2023 11:23

Oh that’s interesting @sorrynotathome I hadn’t heard about that. When and where is it planned, do you know? I have friends in Bexhill that would be delighted about that.

Show quote history

Mmmm I could just be spinning you a line there - sorry it wasn’t on purpose! It was something I heard about a while ago but I can’t find anything concrete online. Tbh it could have been one of those infrastructure investments that just hasn’t got off the ground because as a country we don’t really do that any more (unless it’s HS2).

Cirice · 09/03/2023 14:17

Fairly sure there are some planning permissions for housing schemes coming through in the area as well so should bring some families into the place.

MeanwhileTime · 09/03/2023 21:21

Yes you’re probably right 😆